Preview — The Ode Less Travelled
by Stephen Fry

The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within

Stephen Fry believes that if you can speak and read English you can write poetry. But it is no fun if you don't know where to start or have been led to believe that Anything Goes.

Stephen, who has long written poems, and indeed has written long poems, for his own private pleasure, invites you to discover the incomparable delights of metre, rhyme and verse forms.

Whether youStephen Fry believes that if you can speak and read English you can write poetry. But it is no fun if you don't know where to start or have been led to believe that Anything Goes.

Stephen, who has long written poems, and indeed has written long poems, for his own private pleasure, invites you to discover the incomparable delights of metre, rhyme and verse forms.

Whether you want to write a Petrarchan sonnet for your lover's birthday, an epithalamion for your sister's wedding or a villanelle excoriating the government's housing policy, The Ode Less Travelled will give you the tools and the confidence to do so.

Brimful of enjoyable exercises, witty insights and simple step-by-step advice, The Ode Less Travelled guides the reader towards mastery and confidence in the Mother of the Arts....more

Community Reviews

This is an admirably unpretentious introduction to the formal art of poesy. Before picking up this book I had no idea that Stephen Fry (who is quite possibly the most affable tv persona in the history of the bright tube) wrote or even was an aficionado of the art form. What was even more surprising was to find out how rich and varied his knowledge on the subject is, and how well and clear he writes, and the subtlety he employs while making a fairly contentious argument.

I love poetry but I stay aThis is an admirably unpretentious introduction to the formal art of poesy. Before picking up this book I had no idea that Stephen Fry (who is quite possibly the most affable tv persona in the history of the bright tube) wrote or even was an aficionado of the art form. What was even more surprising was to find out how rich and varied his knowledge on the subject is, and how well and clear he writes, and the subtlety he employs while making a fairly contentious argument.

I love poetry but I stay away from bickering with most people who either read or write it because most of the time I find such colloquies tiresome. I also find the great bulk of contemporary poetry tiresome and lazy, and quite often empty and solipsistic, devoid of genius. Apparently, Stephen Fry agrees with me, and in different parts of his book makes healthy stabs at encouraging people to return to a very serious study of formal poetry—not because he wants people to write strictly in old, traditional forms, but because of the significant oomph such practice gives to one’s ability to write poetry at all! It’s an argument that I’ve been making for years, and one that has basically fallen on deaf ears.

A lot more people write poetry today than ever before. That is certainly a good thing. But poets like Bukowski and other Beat poets have dissipated the structures to such a degree that one can easily imitate a bare-bones piece of free verse and then get hooked without ever knowing what they’re missing out on by not making a careful study of formal poetry. When you stop to think about it, it’s really quite insane: to proceed as a poet without first mastering the art form. But almost every poet I’ve met has given me the conservative, you’re-an-old-fuddy-duddy look when I point this obvious fact out.

One of the hugely valuable things about Fry’s book is that he shows, in very concise and entertaining prose, why free verse, unhinged from an intimate awareness of the history out of which modern poetry sprang, tends to become unfocused, sterile, abstract, and less vital. I completely agree.

Few things during my short life have touched me as powerfully as poetry has, but almost all of those powerful experiences have been while reading the works of long-dead poets. I used to live near a popular poetry store and would occasionally go in and comb through the books of new poets, and then almost always put the books back with a really terrible feeling of apathy and disappointment. Why are there no Shakespeares or Miltons today? We can point to very straight forward sociological issues regarding consumerist culture, etc. and how we’re basically becoming brain dead from our starchy meals, x-boxes, and the life-sucking ubiquity of Facebook. But the problem is even bigger and more complicated than these reductions would have us suppose, which is why artists should take their crafts a little more seriously and look inwardly for an excellence that will once again make future generations look back with awe and not just see a vast pastiche of viciously make-upped celebrities fading away in a blur of reality television.

In the meantime, Fry’s book is a wonderful place for poets or anyone who is interested in poetry to start the re-evaluative process. The book covers all the basics, including various meters, foots, and forms, and Fry even offers his own sample verses, most of which are cleverly designed explanatory pieces meant to convey a form’s basic distinctive features, while also offering a baseline example for the reader to follow. He also discusses different forms using a scattered collection of notorious, apt, and heavily anthologized pieces from a slew of important poets, often launching into very interesting discussions on why these selections are either successful, deviant, or hopelessly flawed, and his judgement, in most cases, is spot on.

My one criticism would be his lack of discussion about the nature of poetry itself and how it differs from other modes of written expression. He does mention at the end a few things about the ‘whatness’ of poetry, but it’s a little too late in the book. The imagination is supreme in poetry; a poet has to see things and has to trust his/her imagination. That is the real discipline. Cleverness is certainly what destroys most poetry and definitely makes up the bulk of what we’d call mediocre verse. Aphoristic or apt phrases come to us all when we speak. But stellar images caught in ingenious tropes full of prepossessing metaphorical entailment are something that requires concentration, practice, and discipline. The poet who achieves something original and honest moves beyond being simply clever and begins to see things more distinctly and strangely, and captures them in a way that spells out the little fault lines fissuring from the ghastly plenitude of the present.

Some of Fry’s examples are funny, and almost all of them are clever, but because they are so he reinforces an existing, stale procedure that is possibly already too well taught in writing programs everywhere. The book is full of examples and ‘exercises.’ But he doesn’t emphasize the deluding task that Rimbaud so fondly forced upon himself: to take up the drunkenness of the senses by the twisting turns of epiphany and to see things in an utterly novel way, which is really just a form of self-trust one encourages and cultivates by giving oneself over to his imagination after enforcing a discipline that harnesses and builds an unconscious structure around the whole... ...more

I have always had the desire to love poetry. I've always felt like it was within my grasp but never quite there. If I'm honest after reading the reviews, I was hoping Fry was going to convince me, have some secret this book that finally made me get it.

In retrospect this was naive, I'm never going to love poetry as much as I want to. I might still try writing a little, but if I'm honest, Fry has turned me away rather than pushing me towards doing so.

The level of technicalIt's not you Fry it's me.

I have always had the desire to love poetry. I've always felt like it was within my grasp but never quite there. If I'm honest after reading the reviews, I was hoping Fry was going to convince me, have some secret this book that finally made me get it.

In retrospect this was naive, I'm never going to love poetry as much as I want to. I might still try writing a little, but if I'm honest, Fry has turned me away rather than pushing me towards doing so.

The level of technical language and form described here is not what I wanted I'll be honest. Maybe knowing all this is how to write poetry but it's a step too far for me I think. I found how heavy it all is got exhausting and Fry exercises daunting and beyond me most of the time. Maybe I'm not a poet.

"Go on you'll have great fun honestly" he says with glee at almost every task. But being pigeon holed into writing in a certain style I don't fully grasp about a subject I'm not passionate about it not why I'd ever write poetry.

Maybe I'll still use poetry as a form of self expression as I planned but now I feel like Fry and the poetry world will be frowning on me for not knowing the metre and style I am trying to emulate. And I'll certainly still try reading more poetry even though I find my attention spam struggles with that sometimes too. (Like I said, it's almost certainly me)

What Fry writes himself is probably 2 stars for me, the extract of great poems were probably my favourite part and manage to bring it up to the 3....more

The only -- and I do mean the only -- negative thing I can say about this book is that Stephen Fry has taken the run-on sentence to pathological levels. The occasional grammatical slip-up hardly warrants notice, but I swear that throughout all 327 pages of this book, there was at least one run-on sentence per page. Someone (preferably his editor?) needs to pull him aside and introduce him to semi-colons.

Other than that editing issue, this book was buckets of fun and superbly useful for anyone whThe only -- and I do mean the only -- negative thing I can say about this book is that Stephen Fry has taken the run-on sentence to pathological levels. The occasional grammatical slip-up hardly warrants notice, but I swear that throughout all 327 pages of this book, there was at least one run-on sentence per page. Someone (preferably his editor?) needs to pull him aside and introduce him to semi-colons.

Other than that editing issue, this book was buckets of fun and superbly useful for anyone who used to know something about poetry but has forgotten it all, or for someone who never knew much about poetry but has always been curious about how it works. Fry introduces the reader to a variety of forms and styles that have been used throughout the ages and in various cultures, explaining their sometimes complicated rules clearly and humorously.

The exercises are fun and he offers a lot of solid, practical advice for readers wanting to try their own hand at poetry. This is the ideal book for former English majors or lit nerds (the glossary alone is a valuable and amusing source of trivia and impressive terminology), aspiring poets, or anyone interested in what exactly poetry is all about....more

Fry cleverly drags out the reading of this book by forcing the reader to take a vow to read all the poems aloud and to do all the exercises in the book. I did well until I came to the next-to-last chapter of the book, a chapter on forms. I admit it: I didn't do any of the exercises on writing pantoums and ballads and haiku. I fully intend to go back and do these at my leisure, but I felt a strong need to go ahead and finish the blooming book. It does count, right? I don't think we have any requiFry cleverly drags out the reading of this book by forcing the reader to take a vow to read all the poems aloud and to do all the exercises in the book. I did well until I came to the next-to-last chapter of the book, a chapter on forms. I admit it: I didn't do any of the exercises on writing pantoums and ballads and haiku. I fully intend to go back and do these at my leisure, but I felt a strong need to go ahead and finish the blooming book. It does count, right? I don't think we have any requirements about adhering to silly vows taken to a book, do we?

review will not be impartial, because I love Stephen Fry. I want to marry his brain. If he published his grocery list, I would buy it. I suspect I would enjoy it as well. Anyway, The Ode Less Travelled is a guide to writing poetry. Not necessarily good poetry, but poetry all the same. Do you know what an iambic pentameter is? Not if you were educated in a state school any time after the sixties, I’ll bet. I first came across the term at university, and managed to bluff my way through all those review will not be impartial, because I love Stephen Fry. I want to marry his brain. If he published his grocery list, I would buy it. I suspect I would enjoy it as well. Anyway, The Ode Less Travelled is a guide to writing poetry. Not necessarily good poetry, but poetry all the same. Do you know what an iambic pentameter is? Not if you were educated in a state school any time after the sixties, I’ll bet. I first came across the term at university, and managed to bluff my way through all those weird little dashes we had to put above words. I didn’t really know what I was doing, and was really glad when we moved onto novels.

Stephen Fry to the rescue with a very radical idea: anybody can write poetry, once they learn the basics.

This is a fun book. It will not make a poet out of me, but it has already made reading poetry more enjoyable. I feel like I can now spot the tricks of the trade. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defined prose as words in their best order, and poetry as the best words in their best order. It’s like the old pocket watches I used to beg my Mum to take down from the bedroom cupboard and show me when I was a kid: lovely to look at, but even more wonderful when you could pop the back off and see the intricate mechanisms at work.

Don’t be scared of poetry, and don’t be scared of this book. It’s not elitist. It’s fun. Read this book, and you too will be able to spot an iambic pentameter in its natural habitat!...more

Not, perhaps, quite so detailed as I would have liked. However, it is written with all the wit, clarity and charming-ness that one has come to expect of Mr Fry. And it is beautifully presented. I particularly appreciated the use of a table to show the way in which a poem worked, its rhyme scheme folding in on itself like a collapsing umbrella.

If you go fishing, play chess, want to learn some new jazz voicings on the piano, aim to improve your golf swing or almost anything else, you'll be assailed by books and magazines giving advice in what to do, whether you are an absolute beginner or someone with some experience looking for new ideas. In no way do you want to make a living doing any of these things - but you want to get more out of a hobby you enjoy.

Stephen Fry - actor, comedian, novelist, gadget guru and all round National InstitIf you go fishing, play chess, want to learn some new jazz voicings on the piano, aim to improve your golf swing or almost anything else, you'll be assailed by books and magazines giving advice in what to do, whether you are an absolute beginner or someone with some experience looking for new ideas. In no way do you want to make a living doing any of these things - but you want to get more out of a hobby you enjoy.

Stephen Fry - actor, comedian, novelist, gadget guru and all round National Institution - has a hobby, and that's writing poetry for pleasure. He claims that there are more nascent poets than you'd imagine, and so he offers a primer on a much-neglected subject, the art of writing poetry. No, not formless free verse, but proper poetry, with forms, rhymes and metre. Only when you know the difference between your iambs and your spondees, he says, can you appreciate the effects of breaking the rules. After all, Picasso had to learn how to draw and paint properly before he branched out into cubism and whatnot.

And so The Ode Less Travelled is a how-to guide, complete with lessons at the end of each chapter. Being Fry, the lessons are a lot of fun (write directions to your house in alliterative verse, for example) and the writing in general is a delight. Even if you don't do the exercises, you'll leave this book with a much greater appreciation of this art form than when you began. The chapter on limericks should be taken with a health warning for those who dislike over-use of Anglo-Saxon Epithets....more

I learned so much from this book, so entertainingly presented...It was one of those books, like Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield, that I could have turned around and just started reading again, immediately -- except, in the case of Nine Gates, my friend Tony, coffee shop owner and dead-ringer for Jimmy Stewart, had already, seeing me reading it in his restaurant, asked to borrow it.

Stephen Fry is (surprisingly, to me -- for no good reason) extremely literate and well-educated. Not only can he explaI learned so much from this book, so entertainingly presented...It was one of those books, like Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield, that I could have turned around and just started reading again, immediately -- except, in the case of Nine Gates, my friend Tony, coffee shop owner and dead-ringer for Jimmy Stewart, had already, seeing me reading it in his restaurant, asked to borrow it.

Stephen Fry is (surprisingly, to me -- for no good reason) extremely literate and well-educated. Not only can he explain and illustrate all the fine points of poetic style -- he can also furnish examples that he has written himself! Highly entertaining; also cheering to the aspiring connoisseur of good literature and/or writer of passable poetry!...more

Great, meaty introduction to the technical aspects of poetry by the venerable Mr.Fry. The bases covered include rhyme schemes, meters, the various poetry forms, and a concluding rant about the state of poetry today. Even though this is an introduction, this is not a book that you can skim through. Fry introduces a host of technical terms that denote very real and important aspects of a poem, and he ends every chapter with an exercise that the reader is supposed to do. The tone is so conversationGreat, meaty introduction to the technical aspects of poetry by the venerable Mr.Fry. The bases covered include rhyme schemes, meters, the various poetry forms, and a concluding rant about the state of poetry today. Even though this is an introduction, this is not a book that you can skim through. Fry introduces a host of technical terms that denote very real and important aspects of a poem, and he ends every chapter with an exercise that the reader is supposed to do. The tone is so conversational, friendly and the material is fascinating and well-explained. Sprinkled throughout the book are examples from poets far and wide, good and bad, who prop up the terms and concepts that the author is highlighting ; and he often prefaces the introduction of every new form with a bit of doggerel from his own pen to show us the basic outline. Overall, a very fun, informative and fascinating read....more

I read this book thinking that if anyone could make me love poetry and want to write my own, that person was Stephen Fry. Sadly, that does not appear to have happened.

I enjoyed the level of passion with which he wrote it, but then again, I can enjoy pretty much anything that's presented by someone with a great passion for whatever it is, even if I don't share that passion myself. I tried some of the poetry exercises, and even found myself enjoying them. And after reading about all the differentI read this book thinking that if anyone could make me love poetry and want to write my own, that person was Stephen Fry. Sadly, that does not appear to have happened.

I enjoyed the level of passion with which he wrote it, but then again, I can enjoy pretty much anything that's presented by someone with a great passion for whatever it is, even if I don't share that passion myself. I tried some of the poetry exercises, and even found myself enjoying them. And after reading about all the different kinds of poetry and what makes them tick, I feel I now understand poetry, and I won't have to sit there anymore in puzzlement wondering why this poem is considered so great when the rhythm is all wrong, or why this poem is a masterpiece even though some of the "rhymes" are way off base. Quite often there is a name for these off-putting moments in poetry, and that makes it acceptable to the poetic community.

These things I now understand. The only problem is, I still don't LIKE them.

Here's where this book lost a star for me - there are only a VERY few poems I can read and enjoy - ones that have a firm rhythmic structure and stick to it, ones that have a point and tell a story without being about love or beauty or anything depressive or crude, and (I have recently discovered) ones that are "concrete" poetry - and they are apparently not the ones that Stephen Fry enjoys. He would ramble on forever in glowing terms about poems or styles that I didn't think were all that, and then breeze over the forms that made sense to me with a dismissive wave of his hand, feeling that they lacked imagination or daring or were simply a waste of time. Every time he would say something along the lines of "Some people may like this form," I felt like raising my hand. This happens to me so often in life that I'm getting rather used to it. In fact, I long ago began to believe that if my opinion was different from the usual, that meant I was doing something right. So in a roundabout way, this book actually made me feel better about my taste (or lack thereof) in poetry.

In a nutshell, I think this book does what it claims it will do, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to "unlock the poet within." I just don't seem to have one within me. And that's okay, too....more

A clear, concise, entertaining, witty and often brilliant overview of poetic form, meter, history and so much more. The only thing he doesn't get into very much is content, although there is a small section for it. It's more about learning what the tools are and how you might use them. A poet who knows more of the tools is more likely to be a good poet than one who does not.

I found the description of meter to be the most interesting, since I've never really delved into it that much. I'm still haA clear, concise, entertaining, witty and often brilliant overview of poetic form, meter, history and so much more. The only thing he doesn't get into very much is content, although there is a small section for it. It's more about learning what the tools are and how you might use them. A poet who knows more of the tools is more likely to be a good poet than one who does not.

I found the description of meter to be the most interesting, since I've never really delved into it that much. I'm still hardly an expert, but am far better than I was. And, to be honest, when I write poetry, I don't use meter that much. I am mostly just listening to how it sounds without considering meter. Still, I want to know about the different types, how they are used and how they sound. This book does that and more.

One of my favourite books on poetry ever. I borrowed it from the library and part way through, bought a copy. I will be using it as a reference for a long time.

There was one thing that I thought was a bit unusual, and probably the only missing piece. Mr. Fry discussed the various types of poems, open forms, with no fixed length and then the fixed form, with an exact number of lines. He does say that form X doesn't care much about the meter, say the vilanelle and is more about the refrain, but when he discussed sonnets, he never actually says that they must be written in iambic pentameter. Maybe he just assumed that through his previous examples that everyone would know? I'm not sure, but it's never actually mentioned in either the definition of sonnets at the back or in the sonnet section. It's a small thing, but still, it should be there....more

I just can't remember touching poetry during my incarceration at school. If I was asked I'd have probably said that a villanelle was a female pickpocket. Stephen Fry's book is a wonderful idiots guide through iambic pentameter, the trochee, spondee and all the twiddledy dees of meter and rhyme from Homer through to Zephaniah.Mr Fry is a blast. If you are into poetry, then this book, I'm sure, will enrich your experience. If you hate poetry, then 'The Ode Less Travelled' is just what you need toI just can't remember touching poetry during my incarceration at school. If I was asked I'd have probably said that a villanelle was a female pickpocket. Stephen Fry's book is a wonderful idiots guide through iambic pentameter, the trochee, spondee and all the twiddledy dees of meter and rhyme from Homer through to Zephaniah.Mr Fry is a blast. If you are into poetry, then this book, I'm sure, will enrich your experience. If you hate poetry, then 'The Ode Less Travelled' is just what you need to introduce you into the magical world of stanzas, quatrains, ballads, odes, villanelles, sestinas, rondeaus, rondelets, limericks and sonnets. It's a work book too, with exercises set at the end of each chapter to make sure the reader is paying attention. I casually picked this little gem up in the local library, and now I'm very tempted to aquire my own copy, to keep at hand, such is the wealth of information contained within., not for ambition or bread, or the strut and trade of charms on the ivory stages but for the common wages of their most secret heart. ...more

Stephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Gotham, 2005)

I think every poet at some point, no matter how much they've been raised on free verse, turns his or her attention to formal verse. Thus the enduring popularity of form dictionaries (my personal favorite has always been Dacey and Jauss' Strong Measures). In The Ode Less Travelled (and points to Fry for spelling “travelled” right when my word processor's dictionary flags it as incorrect), Fry has little truck with free vStephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Gotham, 2005)

I think every poet at some point, no matter how much they've been raised on free verse, turns his or her attention to formal verse. Thus the enduring popularity of form dictionaries (my personal favorite has always been Dacey and Jauss' Strong Measures). In The Ode Less Travelled (and points to Fry for spelling “travelled” right when my word processor's dictionary flags it as incorrect), Fry has little truck with free verse; it's all forms all the time here, and is an excellent addition to the formal-verse canon.

After some general introductory chapters, Fry breaks a number of types of formal verse down and introduces us to each, with examples both from classic poets and from his own doggerel (I suspect that Fry, who is far more accomplished than he lets on here, specifically wrote doggerel for inclusion here in order to make it all look a great deal easier). While the book is by no means exhaustive—I don't think I've ever run across a truly exhaustive form dictionary—it's a fine introduction to many of the most popular and enduring forms. If you're a poet, even if you haven't discovered the lure of formal verse yet, it's well worth picking this up. You'll get there eventually. ****...more

I loved this book. I think I loved it more because I listened to it rather than reading it. Fry's warm, plummy voice and his tonal variations - now chummy, now wry, now sentimental, now no-nonsense - add so much to the experience.

And the book itself is delightful. If you're a lover of words, of language (particularly, though not necessarily exclusively, of the English language), then you will at least appreciate this book, and probably love it as much as I did, even if you never end up writing aI loved this book. I think I loved it more because I listened to it rather than reading it. Fry's warm, plummy voice and his tonal variations - now chummy, now wry, now sentimental, now no-nonsense - add so much to the experience.

And the book itself is delightful. If you're a lover of words, of language (particularly, though not necessarily exclusively, of the English language), then you will at least appreciate this book, and probably love it as much as I did, even if you never end up writing a poem as a result of reading it.

For that, of course, is Fry's main goal here: to get more people to write poems. Not to publish them (necessarily) - this is not a 'How to Get Your Poetry Published' manual at all, at all. In fact, he himself points out that while he has written much poetry, it's all for his own pleasure - the pleasure of the creation, and of the subsequent enjoyment. He hasn't published any of it.

No, this is a different sort of How To text altogether, wherein Fry teaches the reader how to write poems. You might think that this is something that anyone can do, and to a small degree, you'd be right. But if you were to try it without what this book can teach you (whether you get it from this book or not), you would be severely handicapped. It would be like trying to paint a picture without knowing anything about the wheel of colours, how paints mix, what kind of brushstrokes have what kind of effect, and so on.

After a short apologia for why one would - and in his opinion, should - write poetry, and some preparatory remarks, Fry starts with the nuts and bolts of prosody (which, by the way, is an example of the sort of term he introduces, smoothly and painlessly, throughout the book) with the elements of meter: the different kinds of poetic 'foot', and the many ways those feet can be joined together into a line.

Before moving into how lines can be joined together, Fry detours into a discussion of the different kinds of rhyming (yes, there are different kinds, from strict to none and everything in between).

From there, he comes back to form, but now in bigger chunks: how poetic lines (as described earlier) can be - or more to the point, have been - put together in various ways to create various poetic forms. A few of the forms, or at least their names, are familiar - sonnet, limerick, haiku - but they're all reviewed and illustrated with clever little self-referential versions that poetically describe themselves. The book's worth reading (or listening to) just for the fun of reading/hearing those.

Fry also provides opportunities for the listener (or reader) to practice techniques for themselves, with short exercises scattered throughout the book. This, I feel, is the part that lends itself least well to the audiobook format, at least for me, because I was listening while I was commuting (as I expect many people do) and so wasn't really in a position to whip out a notebook and write down an example of iambic pentameter, or a rhyme for "girl".

But even if you don't write down a thing, never end up writing a word of poetry, this book is totally worth the listen (or read) - just for the experience of understanding the sorts of things that can go into a poem, and help you appreciate why a particular poem - or really, even a set of song lyrics - works well for you or doesn't.

This may be the only book I've ever listened to that I'm planning to go back to. I enjoyed it - and enjoyed learning from it - that much.

Whatever the reason, I picked up almost zero poetry in my formal education. A grade school lesson defining haiku and diamante, some time on Shakespeare and Jack Donne (and naturally I recited "A valediction, forbidding mourning" as a goodbye to maybe more than one high school or college-era girlfriend), but otherwise nothing. Coming from that angle, and as someone who generally admires and appreciates Stephen Fry as a public personality, this was a joyous way to fill in the gap. It's not reallyWhatever the reason, I picked up almost zero poetry in my formal education. A grade school lesson defining haiku and diamante, some time on Shakespeare and Jack Donne (and naturally I recited "A valediction, forbidding mourning" as a goodbye to maybe more than one high school or college-era girlfriend), but otherwise nothing. Coming from that angle, and as someone who generally admires and appreciates Stephen Fry as a public personality, this was a joyous way to fill in the gap. It's not really an "appreciation" text or survey of poetic history as much as an instructional overview of the elements of meter, rhyme, and form, peppered with Fry's mordant (or sometimes just silly) wit, reappearing (usually) at just the right moment when the material is getting too dry and repetitive. There's no way to say this nicely, but it probably would suit being packaged as one of those "____ for Dummies"/"Complete Idiot's Guide to _____" product lines just fine. There are exercises throughout, a few of them pointless, but most of them useful and illustrative. ...more

I love Stephen Fry, and to me, he can do no wrong. However, I really think that this book is a genuinely entertaining and informative book, even without that bias.

I picked up this book because I wanted to learn about poetry. Sadly, I was finding it difficult to find a book on the SUBJECT OF poetry, without it being about WRITING poetry. This is definitely one of the latter, BUT I still found it to be an excellent introduction on how to read different forms. There may be better books on this subjI love Stephen Fry, and to me, he can do no wrong. However, I really think that this book is a genuinely entertaining and informative book, even without that bias.

I picked up this book because I wanted to learn about poetry. Sadly, I was finding it difficult to find a book on the SUBJECT OF poetry, without it being about WRITING poetry. This is definitely one of the latter, BUT I still found it to be an excellent introduction on how to read different forms. There may be better books on this subject, but I doubt many of them would be as deeply humourous as this one.

Clever examples, wonderful descriptions and an obviously sincere love of the subject matter from the author made this book supremely entertaining.

As a future English student, and a fan of Stephen Fry's writing I couldn't resist picking up this book and it didn't disappoint.

Stephen Fry guides us into the world of poetry and prosody with effortless charm and light hearted humour. He makes what could potentially be a dry and pretentious topic into a highly enjoyable and informative read. The definitions and descriptions of complicated greek terminology are backed up with historical examples making this book suitable for someone with little tAs a future English student, and a fan of Stephen Fry's writing I couldn't resist picking up this book and it didn't disappoint.

Stephen Fry guides us into the world of poetry and prosody with effortless charm and light hearted humour. He makes what could potentially be a dry and pretentious topic into a highly enjoyable and informative read. The definitions and descriptions of complicated greek terminology are backed up with historical examples making this book suitable for someone with little to no knowledge of poetry. Exercises encourage the readers exploration into their own poetic voice whilst teaching the fundamental principles behind form, metre and rhyme.

This book is advertised as a sort of 'poetry for dummies' many reviewers have praised it for being easy to understand and going back to basics.

Sadly this book was a disaster for me. I tried my best to read it with an open mind but unfortunately Fry's technical detail lost me by about page 15. This is certainly not what I would describe as 'easy' to understand or to follow. Fry did his best to ease the reader into (what turned out to be) a false sense of security then hit them with a hard wave ofThis book is advertised as a sort of 'poetry for dummies' many reviewers have praised it for being easy to understand and going back to basics.

Sadly this book was a disaster for me. I tried my best to read it with an open mind but unfortunately Fry's technical detail lost me by about page 15. This is certainly not what I would describe as 'easy' to understand or to follow. Fry did his best to ease the reader into (what turned out to be) a false sense of security then hit them with a hard wave of artistic techniques i'd never heard of. It left me lost and bewildered.

If you want to learn how to appreciate and write poetry I think you are better off joining a class where you can ask questions....more

The first few chapters are great. The author is just as entertaining, witty, and charming as you would imagine. The use of the iambic pentameter is set out clearly and concisely. This section got me writing, and made me realize I had overlooked the brilliance of Wilfred Owen.

The rest I could have done without.

If you like this - now, go and read an anthology of 100 best poems preferably including something rousing by Kipling.

If you are made of firmer stuff, try the poetry foundation online. TheyThe first few chapters are great. The author is just as entertaining, witty, and charming as you would imagine. The use of the iambic pentameter is set out clearly and concisely. This section got me writing, and made me realize I had overlooked the brilliance of Wilfred Owen.

The rest I could have done without.

If you like this - now, go and read an anthology of 100 best poems preferably including something rousing by Kipling.

If you are made of firmer stuff, try the poetry foundation online. They also have a magazine too. Oh, and try Bloodaxe publishing....more

A most entertaining and informative guide to harnessing the creative powers to poetic expression, using the age-old techniques of iambic pentameter, etc. He explains it all very wittily and the book should be in every lit crit class syllabus. I rewrote a load of poems myself very effectively. It helped improve my limericks too.

There was a young parson named Bings,Who talked about God and such things; But his secret desireWas a boy in the choir With a bottom like jelly on springs.

No matter how brilliant Stephen Fry is as an actor and social commentator, when he is offered a knighthood, it will be for his contribution to the craft of poetry.

In The Ode Less Travelled he gently, wittily, inexorably insists on poets learning and mastering the "rules" of their craft. Fortunately, he's a good guide. I've had the book for ages and still haven't reached the end. With this book, the journey is the goal.

This book is vastly entertaining just to read, but I'd like to use it in the manner for which it was intended, as an instructional guide to exploring poetic forms by writing poetry. I'd love to find other readers who'd like to do the same, so we can compare notes (and poems) as we work our way through the book. If you're interested, contact me through GoodReads or at gatheringwater@yahoo.com.

First, I adore Stephen Fry. I can’t think of anyone else who speaks so quickly, authoritatively, articulately, and hilariously on more topics than I can name. He had me from line one in the Foreword: “I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry.”

Furthermore, he takes his poetry seriously. He explains every form I’ve heard of and then some, and I’ve read several books on poetic forms. He fills in a lot of history and background, giving samples from the masters. Page after page of reading scFirst, I adore Stephen Fry. I can’t think of anyone else who speaks so quickly, authoritatively, articulately, and hilariously on more topics than I can name. He had me from line one in the Foreword: “I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry.”

Furthermore, he takes his poetry seriously. He explains every form I’ve heard of and then some, and I’ve read several books on poetic forms. He fills in a lot of history and background, giving samples from the masters. Page after page of reading scansion can be very, very dull. However, Fry also brings something to this topic that other style books lack - hilarity. I burst out laughing many times, especially during his self-deprecating moments. For instance, in discussing the sprung rhythm of Gerard Manley Hopkins, he says, “Relax:…Only three people in the world understand it, one is dead, the other has gone mad and the third is me, and I have forgotten.”

He provides sample poems in each form that illustrate the length, meter, and rhyme scheme while talking about the elements that make up that form. They’re doggerel, but effective learning tools. In fact, he keeps encouraging the reader not to be afraid to try the complex forms, saying you can surely do better than he did.

My favorite sections of the book were the more general discussions on the essential of words, the strength of poetry, and his always strong opinions on the state of writing. He does NOT address how to write free verse. He prefers form, but feels that any poet should experimentand branch out of his comfort zone. Basically, he feels you should know the rules before you break them.

I even love his plea to readers not to send him their poetry. Still, I must admit it’s tempting....more

I've been dipping in and out of this, rather than reading it straight through once. It isn't a textbook, if that's what you're looking for, but it is a very helpful guide. Stephen Fry's tone is light, funny, but his explanations and examples are good, and his attitude toward poetry -- that anyone can do it -- is refreshing. He's got a good overview of a lot of forms.

Took me a long time to read this book; it's a very well written scholarly work and i thoroughly enjoyed it. Having read the book I picked up a copy of the audio book from the library and gave it a second go. Enjoyed it even more. If you are interested in poetry or would like to try and write poetry; this is definitely worth reading.

This is all the technicalities about writing poetry. Very interesting, how to do it "correctly," but it's much more fun to write it the way you feel it rather than tapping your fingers and wavering your voice to make sure you have enough of the correct beats! Very enjoyable for the knowledge itself.

A brilliant introduction to poetry writing or great for poets (such as myself) who have gotten out of the habit or a bit rusty. Fry's writing style is warm, witty and helpful and the background information about the various forms was very interesting.

If you write poetry for pleasure this book is easy to read and will suffice. Do not take it as gospel as the theory is patchy and in some cases incorrect. Not a good book for students. (Except for the odd humorous quote.) There are better books out there!

Enough already! The first few chapters about iambs were interesting, and a good review. But as he got deeper into the different exceptions and exceptions to the rules I realized that I don't need to know quite so much about the ode.

Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act with his comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He is also famous for his roles in Blackadder and Wilde, and as the host of QI. In addition to writing foStephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act with his comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He is also famous for his roles in Blackadder and Wilde, and as the host of QI. In addition to writing for stage, screen, television and radio he has contributed columns and articles for numerous newspapers and magazines, and has also written four successful novels and a series of memoirs.

“The English language is like London: proudly barbaric yet deeply civilised, too, common yet royal, vulgar yet processional, sacred yet profane. Each sentence we produce, whether we know it or not, is a mongrel mouthful of Chaucerian, Shakespearean, Miltonic, Johnsonian, Dickensian and American. Military, naval, legal, corporate, criminal, jazz, rap and ghetto discourses are mingled at every turn. The French language, like Paris, has attempted, through its Academy, to retain its purity, to fight the advancing tides of Franglais and international prefabrication. English, by comparison, is a shameless whore.”
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“I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry... I believe poetry is a primal impulse within all of us. I believe we are all capable of it and furthermore that a small, often ignored corner of us positively yearns to try it.”
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